Shoe Insole

ABSTRACT

A shoe insole includes an elastic main body including a front metatarsal, a mid foot and a rear heel sections, the front metatarsal section having an enclosed forefoot buffer zone, the first recesses being formed in the forefoot buffer zone, the rear heel section having an enclosed heel buffer zone, the second recesses being formed in the heel buffer zone; an elastic pad member combined with the mid foot section and the rear heel section at the bottom surface of the elastic main body, a mid foot section of the elastic pad member having a protruding foot arch portion, the mid foot section of the elastic pad member having the elongated arc-shaped grooves and the through holes, a rear heel section of the elastic pad member having a through hole corresponding to the heel buffer zone; and an upper layer combined with the elastic main body.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a shoe insole capable of being placedinside a shoe.

2. The Prior Arts

During walking, each foot bears the force equivalent to 0.8-1.2 times ofthe body weight, and the force will directly impact on the foot sole,knee and spine. Thus, a pad is often provided for absorbing the impact.Otherwise, many foot-related problems may occur in a long term period.

A conventional plane leather-made shoe insole only provides cushioningfunction, which does not provide the shock and impact absorbingfunction. A plastic-made insole is often used for improving thedisadvantages of the conventional plane insoles and can be just placedinto a shoe. The conventional insole takes advantages of elasticproperty and softness of plastic material (e.g. silicon/thermoplasticrubber (TPR/TPE)) for absorbing shocks and impacts during walking, so asto get foot protection and comfort. The reason why the soft plasticinsoles are so popular is that they can be fabricated thin enough to beplaced inside the shoes. For providing comfortable and soft touch, afabric capable of absorbing moisture and breathing air is often disposedon the top surface of the soft plastic insole.

However, because the soft plastic insole has a damping effect, the userneeds to make more strenuous efforts to walk, and thereby he/she easilyget muscle fatigue. Moreover, the soft plastic insole is too soft anddoesn't provide enough elasticity, and thus the impact resistance isrelatively low.

The inner edge of the mid foot section of the foot has a recess and isin an arch shape. While stepping or walking, there is a heightdifference between the foot arch and the shoe insole. The conventionalinsole does not provide an appropriate structure for supporting the footarch portion. Thus, the user who wears the shoes with the conventionalshoe insole is more likely to feel fatigue during stepping or walking.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A primary objective of the present invention is to provide a shoe insolefor providing good elasticity and impact absorbing capability duringwalking.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a shoe insolethat meets the requirements of ergonomics and has an elastic supportingstructure to support the foot arch during stepping or walking, so thatfoot fatigue can be mitigated.

The shoe insole of the present invention comprises an elastic main body,an elastic pad member and an upper layer. The elastic main body and theelastic pad member are both made of a silicone material. The elastic padmember is combined with the bottom surface of the elastic main body. Theupper layer is combined with the top surface of the elastic main body.The elastic main body has a buffering and impact absorbing structure,and the combination of the elastic pad member and the elastic main bodyprovides better buffering and impact absorbing function. The upper layeralso has a structure capable of providing more comfort to the foot heelof a user.

In order to achieve the above objectives, the present invention providesa shoe insole which comprises an elastic main body, an elastic padmember, and an upper layer. The elastic main body is made of a siliconeor thermoplastic rubber (TPR/TPE) material, and is in the shape of theinner bottom surface of a shoe, and the elastic main body includes afront metatarsal section, a mid foot section and a rear heel section.The front metatarsal section of the elastic main body has an enclosedforefoot buffer zone. A plurality of first recesses is formed in theforefoot buffer zone. The rear heel section has an enclosed heel bufferzone. A plurality of second recesses is formed in the heel buffer zone.The elastic pad member is made of silicone material, and is combinedwith the mid foot section and the rear heel section at the bottomsurface of the elastic main body. A mid foot section of the elastic padmember has a protruding foot arch portion. The mid foot section of theelastic pad member is formed with a plurality of elongated arc-shapedgrooves and a plurality of through holes, wherein the through holes aredistributed along the foot arch portion. A rear heel section of theelastic pad member is formed with a through hole corresponding to theheel buffer zone. The upper layer is combined with the top surface ofthe elastic main body. When a user wears the shoes with the shoe insoleof the present invention inserted therein and walks, the elastic mainbody in combination with the elastic pad member provides a betterbuffering and comfortable effect to the foot sole, the foot arch and thefoot heel.

According to the present invention, a plurality of holes can be furtherformed around the periphery of the through hole of the elastic padmember so as to increase the elasticity and the impact absorbingcapability at the foot heel portion of the shoe insole.

According to the present invention, a plurality of protrusions can beplaced in the holes of the elastic pad member at the bottom of theelastic main body, and the protrusions have the diameter smaller thanthe inner diameter of the hole, and thereby the protrusions can bedisposed in the holes, so that the rear heel portion of the elastic padmember does not only has good elasticity and impact absorbingcapability, and also exhibits a better supporting capability.

According to the present invention, the upper layer can be furtherformed with a heel hole corresponding to the heel buffer zone, so thefoot heel of a user is allowed to be in direct contact with the footheel portion of the elastic main body through the heel hole.

In the consideration of ergonomics, the through hole formed in theelastic pad member and the heel hole formed in the upper layer aredesigned to be in an oval shape.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art byreading the following detailed description of a preferred embodimentthereof, with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a bottom view showing the bottom structure of the shoe insoleaccording to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front view showing the lateral structure of the shoe insoleaccording to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a top view showing the top structure of the shoe insoleaccording to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view taken along line V-V of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view taken along line VI-VI of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view taken along line VII-VII of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of theinvention and, together with the description, serve to explain theprinciples of the invention.

It is known that the shoe insoles for a right foot and a left foot aresymmetrically designed. Therefore, the shoe insole for the right foot istaken as an example of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a bottom viewshowing the bottom structure of the shoe insole according to oneembodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a front view showing thelateral structure of the shoe insole according to one embodiment of thepresent invention; FIG. 3 is a top view showing the top structure of theshoe insole according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4is a cross sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 1; FIG. 5 is across sectional view taken along line V-V of FIG. 1; FIG. 6 is a crosssectional view taken along line VI-VI of FIG. 1; FIG. 7 is a crosssectional view taken along line VII-VII of FIG. 1; and FIG. 8 is a crosssectional view taken along line VIII-VIII of FIG. 1.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, the shoe insole of the present inventionincludes an elastic main body 1, an elastic pad member 2 and an upperlayer 3. The elastic main body 1 is made of a silicone material andformed in the shape corresponding to the shape of the inner bottomsurface of a shoe, and the elastic main body 1 includes a frontmetatarsal section A, a mid foot section B and a rear heel section C.The front metatarsal section A is provided for the forefoot; the midfoot section B is used to be in contact with the mid foot including thearch of the foot; the rear heel section C is provided for the foot heel.The peripheral edge of the front metatarsal section A of the elasticmain body 1 is designed according to the curve defined by toes closedtogether. The shoe insole is gradually thickened from the rearperipheral edge of the front metatarsal section A towards the peripheraledge of the rear heel section C, and therefore the shoe insole iscapable of being fitted and fixed in the shoe. When walking or running,the foot heel is subject to a larger impact from the ground. Therefore,the thickness of the rear heel section C is designed to be greater thanthat of the front metatarsal section A. For example, the thickness ofthe front metatarsal section A is 2 to 3 mm, and the thickness of therear heel section C is 7 to 8 mm. In consideration of the feeling ofcomfort when wearing the shoes, the upper layer 3 can be disposed on thetop surface of the elastic main body 1, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4.The upper layer 3 is, for example, made of a fabric having fluff.Alternatively, the upper layer 3 can be further provided with decorativedesigns, patterns, texts or trademarks according to the desired designs.

The front metatarsal section A of the elastic main body 1 has anenclosed forefoot buffer zone 11. The peripheral edge of the forefootbuffer zone 11 can be in a geometric shape, or an irregular shape. Aplurality of first recesses 111 are formed in the forefoot buffer zone11. The peripheral edge of the rear heel section C of the elastic mainbody 1 has an enclosed heel buffer zone 12, and the peripheral edge ofheel buffer zone 12 is preferably in an oval shape. A plurality ofsecond recesses 121 are formed in the heel buffer zone 12 (as shown inFIG. 8). According to the present invention, in the formation of theelastic main body 1, the elastic main body 1 can be integrally formedwith the forefoot buffer zone 11 having the first recesses 111, and theheel buffer zone 12 having the second recesses 121. The front portion ofthe front metatarsal section A of the elastic main body 1 can be furtherformed with a plurality of size marking parts 13 (as shown in FIG. 5),which are in an arc shape and recessed in the bottom surface of theelastic main body 1. The size marking parts 13 are spaced apart atdifferent distances from the front end of the elastic main body 1, sothat a user can decide the length of the elastic main body 1 accordingto his own shoe size, and the elastic main body 1 is cut along one ofthe size marking parts 13 according to the desired length, thereby asuitable shoe insole placed in a shoe is obtained.

Because the elastic main body 1 is soft, an elastic pad member 2 isprovided under the elastic main body 1 in view of strength andelasticity of the whole shoe insole. According to one embodiment of thepresent invention, the elastic pad member 2 made of a silicone materialcovers the mid foot section B and the rear heel section C but not coversthe front metatarsal section. The mid foot section B of the elastic padmember 2 has a protruding foot arch portion B1, and the mid foot sectionB is formed with a plurality of elongated arc-shaped grooves 21 and aplurality of through holes 22, wherein the through holes 22 aredistributed along the foot arch portion B1. The rear heel section C ofthe elastic pad member 2 is formed with a through hole 24 correspondingto the shape of the heel buffer zone 12, and the shape of the peripheraledge of the through hole 24 is preferably to be corresponding to theoval shape of the heel buffer zone 12. For good elasticity and goodsupport of the body, a plurality of holes 23 are formed around theperiphery of the through hole 24 of the elastic pad member 2, and aplurality of protrusions 14 are formed in the holes 23 at the bottom ofthe elastic main body 1, wherein the diameter of the protrusions 14 issmaller than the inner diameter of the holes 23 so that the protrusions14 can be disposed in the holes 23. According to the present invention,the elastic main body 1 and the elastic pad member 2 are respectivelymanufactured, and then the elastic main body 1 and the elastic padmember 2 are fixed together by an adhesive. After the elastic main body1 and the elastic pad member 2 are fixed together, the protrusions 14disposed in the holes 23 can provide additional support to the rear heelwithout changing the elasticity of the rear heel section C.

The upper layer 3 is in contact with the foot sole, and can be made of afabric, plastic and any other suitable materials, and the rear portionof the upper layer 3 is formed with a heel hole 31 in an oval shape.After the upper layer 3 is tailored to the desired size, an adhesive isrespectively applied on the bottom surface of the upper layer 3 and thetop surface of the elastic main body 1, and then the upper layer 3 andthe elastic main body 1 are fixed together by the adhesive medium,wherein the heel hole 31 is corresponding to the heel buffer zone 12.

When the shoe insole of the present invention is placed in a shoe forwearing, the foot arch of the foot sole is elastically supported by thefoot arch portion B1 which protrudes from the mid foot section B, andthereby foot fatigue can be mitigated during walking. In addition, thethrough hole 24 of the elastic pad member 2 at the rear heel section C,and the heel hole 31 of the upper layer 3 in coordination with thestructure of the heel buffer zone 12 of the elastic main body 1 providethe buffering effect of impact forces when the foot heel hits theground. In addition, the protrusions 14 at the rear heel of the elasticmain body 1, which are disposed in the holes 23 of the elastic padmember 2, can further provide good elasticity and good support of thebody.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to thepreferred embodiments thereof, it is apparent to those skilled in theart that a variety of modifications and changes may be made withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention which is intended tobe defined by the appended claims.

1. A shoe insole has an elastic main body, an elastic pad member, and anupper layer, and the shoe insole being divided into a metatarsalsection, a mid foot section, and a rear heel section, each sectionhaving an inner side, an outer side, and a thickness, wherein theelastic main body being formed in a shape of an inner bottom surface ofa shoe, including a front metatarsal section, a mid foot section and arear heel section, the front metatarsal section having an enclosedforefoot buffer zone, a plurality of first recesses being formed in theforefoot buffer zone, the rear heel section having an enclosed heelbuffer zone, a plurality of second recesses being formed in the heelbuffer zone, the elastic pad member being combined with the mid footsection and the rear heel section at the bottom surface of the elasticmain body, a mid foot section of the elastic pad member having anprotruding foot arch portion, a plurality of elongated arc-shapedgrooves, and a plurality of through holes, the through holes beingdistributed along the foot arch portion, a rear heel section of theelastic pad member having a through hole corresponding to the heelbuffer zone, and the upper layer being combined with a top surface ofthe elastic main body, wherein the improvement comprises: the plasticmain body and the elastic pad member being made of silicone material andthe thickness of the inner side of the rear heel section being biggerthicker than the thickness of the outer side of the rear heel section.2-6. (canceled)
 7. The shoe insole according to claim 1, wherein theimprovement further comprises the thickness of the inner side of the midfoot section being bigger thicker than the thickness of the outer sideof the mid foot section.
 8. The shoe insole according to claim 1,wherein the improvement further comprises the thickness of the innerside of a region between the frontal metatarsal section and the mid footsection being bigger thicker than the thickness of the outer side of theregion between the frontal metatarsal section and the mid foot section.9. The shoe insole according to claim 1, wherein the improvement furthercomprises the upper layer being made of fabric with fluff and fixed tothe elastic main body through an adhesive.
 10. The shoe insole accordingto claim 1, wherein the improvement further comprises the thickness forthe frontal metatarsal section being between 2 mm and 3 mm and thethickness of the rear heel section being between 7 mm and 8 mm.